Thursday, April 1, 2010

Teeny Tiny Landscapes....




When my daughter and I saw these displays at Hyams Garden Center on James Island, our mouths dropped. They had created miniature landscapes out of long hay racks. They're so fabulously teeny tiny that we figured it is sure to be a cozy place where fairies go in the evening to entertain all of their little friends from the glade. It's complete with walkways, birdbaths, seating areas, and "trees." So we decided to create our own(top photo). It was fun trying to find things from the yard that would work as a wall of "logs" for the little dwelling. We now have several small snails that have taken up residents among the smooth pebbles and "lawn" (aka: moss). Perhaps they're little friends that belong to our very own flock of fairies....

To Make Your Own Teeny Tiny Landscape:
1. Start by asking your local nursery how large some plants will get if you're not sure.
2. Choose a container. We chose a rectangular terracotta pot approx. 9" X 14" in size.
3. fill dirt halfway and begin placing your small plants in an arrangement that you're happy with.
4. Fill in the remaining gaps with potting soil.
5. For Structures: Use sticks, rocks, or small vines or grass tied together to create a dwelling. Sticks can also make wonderful "bridges" over a small river of rocks/pebbles.


Plant Suggestions:
• Small oxalis (clovers)
•Hen and Chicks (succulents work well because small ones are easy to find, and grow slowly, therefore don't take over the teeny "yard.")
• Blue fescue
• Creeping Jenny
• Low growing nettle
• Sprigs of dwarf mondo grass
• Petite ferns
• Moss clumps (easy to find somewhere in almost any yard)


Other Hard Scaping: Stones are easy to find. Many stores like Hyams now carry miniature porcelain figurines made for Bonsai gardens, but they work great here!

1 comment:

  1. I remember making one of these with a friend years ago. I went a little cheesy with lots of little minatures from the craft store, but it was fun!

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